


Evening Song; Evening Star

by Haunted_Frost



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Next Generation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 08:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23008879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haunted_Frost/pseuds/Haunted_Frost
Summary: She grew up with legends.They don’t tell you how hard it is to grow up in the shadow of legends.A brief De Rolo kids fic, started on tumblr withthis ficlet postandthis vesper fanart post.
Relationships: Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 117





	Evening Song; Evening Star

Vesper De Rolo grew up on slightly sanitized tales of Vox Machina. The blood and death remained, but her parents kept Uncle Scanlan away from story time with her until after they’d had The Talk. And then Another Talk, because Scanlan's . . . escapades . . . covered a lot of ground. She was told of mighty battles, revenge, of pranks and drunken decisions. Of their dear friends, of her uncle's sacrifice. 

She grew up with legends.

~~They don’t tell you how hard it is to grow up in the shadow of legends.~~

When she was little, of course, it hardly mattered - children take time to notice expectations. And really, no one placed those expectations on her. Father let her in his lap while he assembled pieces for his clock tower and never once suggested she learn to do the things he could. Mother took her on walks in the woods, let her ride Trinket, but never mentioned that she ought to be a good markswoman. No one had ever told her what her duties were. 

She took them on all the same. 

It was . . . she was the quiet child, in a household brimming with personality and life, friends bustling in and out at their leisure (which meant a spectacle every time Uncle Grog decided it was time to visit, even as he got on in age) and nobles and parties and diplomats otherwise. It wasn't an unhappy sort of childhood, and far from lonely. Still, when her first sibling was born, something settled in her. Perhaps it was _there is someone with me and I am not alone._ Perhaps it was _now I am not the smallest thing here to be cared for_. What it really was, was _ah, so this is the responsibility I should be taking on, yes, I will protect you_. And she would, because little Freddie the fourth, named for her father but sporting even pointier ears than her, was her little brother. And how could she protect him, if she didn't know how?

She began sneaking, talking to the ravens about it, wondering if her uncle Vax could hear her. And they didn't respond, not all the time, but even regular ravens were intelligent enough to learn to speak. She liked to think they only spoke to her. And when she didn't speak with the ravens, she fiddled with her own tiny projects in her father's workshop. Under his supervision, she made toys first for Freddie, then for the twins - Cassian and Johanna. Cassian, a baby tiefling boy with slate gray skin, was quiet and gentle when he got around to being able to choose his behaviors. He was . . . contemplative, for a baby. Johanna, in contrast, would howl victory and race across the foyer on all fours and grin blindingly at her twin when she beat him in their games. Vesper adored them, and so did Freddie, although he often ended up getting whacked by a toy sword whenever Johanna was involved. 

For Freddie, she made a music box, painted with images from his favorite Vox Machina tales. It took a long time, but her brother loved it at his sixth birthday, and her father beamed proudly at what she'd made. She'd successfully caught a badger in the woods the next year, and helped Johanna tame it. For Cassian, she tracked down books of epic poetry not written by Uncle Taryon or Uncle Scanlan. He'd pored intently over the illustrations all day, and that made it easier to think - _yes, next year I will get him paints_ \- And baby Vax'ildan, who clung to them tightly and wailed if he was left alone? A stuffed bear, of course, and a doll vaguely resembling their aunt Velora in a princess gown. He settled down for naps easier, then. 

It wasn't something anyone had _told_ her to do. She just did it - took care of the children, continued her studies, and stayed well in line. Mostly. As her father shared designs for his clock tower, as her mother talked with ravens, as she got older - well. She snuck into her father’s workshop, some nights, and snuck out to her mother’s shooting range in the woods, revolver in hand - and she practiced her aim. She improved her pet project based on her father’s designs, when her parents were out on official business. 

He’d promised never to build another gun - she’d made no such oath. 

No, she learned different lessons from those childhood stories than they probably wanted. She learned that if she didn’t learn to defend herself, didn’t get stronger, one day it would not end well. How else would she protect her loved ones? Still, she kept it a secret - no need to worry her parents over her interests. No need to tell them that they hadn't comforted her with stories of them being strong heroes, but showed her just how _vulnerable_ they were, for all their power. No, she would protect them. She would protect _all_ of them. 

And the ravens watched over her, and one often landed on her shoulder, so she supposed she had either good luck or her uncle's blessing - either way, she managed to go entirely unnoticed into the woods most nights. It helped that she'd always taken walks before. And if she kept her projects in a closed case in her father's workshop? She'd made surprise gifts before. And she still did - in a different compartment than her revolver. 

Oh, the others learned to fight, and so did she - Freddie with eloquence and lordship and daggers against Aunt Cassandra, and she could aim well enough with a dagger, too. (Aim was a familiar concept with both tools, really, so it only helped.) The twins were still little. She did hope that being a tiefling and aasimar wouldn’t drive them apart, early on - and it hadn't. Cassian studied the gods, curious as always, and Johanna dabbled with magic. And baby Vax was adorable, but he definitely wasn’t going to rat her out for her nightly adventures. He was too busy taking rides on Trinket’s back or playing with the toy bow she and her mother had made together. 

And the funny thing is - the past doesn’t repeat itself if you learn from your mistakes, but it does rhyme quite closely. 

She and her parents were visiting Uncle Taryon in Deastock when it happened. A visitor from the Cerberus Assembly, come to follow up on an old quest Tary had done for a colleague of his some years before. The old man had two guards in black, rippling faintly with arcane force. A tall human man and a fierce halfling woman, both with stares sharp as needles. 

“Please, call me Trent, Lord and Lady De Rolo,” the old man had simpered. They were bringing out tea for them - the male guard in black refused to drink, humming. Vesper chose not to, either. She raised a brow at him, and he shrugged. Uncle Taryon was explaining the event, arms gesturing widely about something about a duck monster, and glowing stone - 

"Green, glasslike?" wondered Father. "Hm, that almost sounds like Residuum. We've been missing some shipments lately."

And that was the trigger they must have been waiting for. 

Without warning or provocation, they attacked. Mother and Father hadn’t even been able to grab their weapons in time to properly defend themselves - but Vesper had been hiding her gun beneath her skirts for years.

She fired at the old man first, figuring it would distract the guards long enough for her parents to act. She was right - even if she got lightning called on her in the meantime. Her hair smelled singed, and she felt like she was buzzing, but the man was sprawled backward, skull bloodied, and the two others were out, pinned down by an arrow and crossbow bolt respectively. Uncle Taryon went about detaining them, fretting about blood on the furniture. Her mother cast healing spells while her father stared her down. She hardly noticed her own manic smile until he cleared his throat. 

“Vesper Elaina De Rolo, what in _hell_ were you thinking?”

She shrugged. Her father demanded to see her gun to inspect it - _you could have injured yourself! No, I couldn't have, I've been practicing for years. Years?!_ But she saw the spark of interest in his eyes as he looked it over. 

And as Mother contacted Allura, who was the only other person in personal contact with anyone from the Empire, she turned deathly pale. 

"He trained with Delilah Briarwood," she said, and Father turned deathly pale. "And he's been siphoning our Residuum shipments overseas." 

"Well, your daughter just killed an important diplomatic figure in the middle of a tense ceasefire," Taryon said carefully. Vesper scoffed. 

"And he would have killed Lord and Lady Whitestone! _Again!_ That wasn't going to happen, Uncle Tary." 

"I know, but now we are going to have to prove that to King Dwendal and hope he doesn't turn on Tal'Dorei," Father said, grumbling. "And, from what I know, Ripley wasn't all wrong in wanting the man dead. Taryon, would you mind escorting Vesper to Nicodranas to investigate the residuum shipments? We'll deal with the Empire." Taryon shook his head, but offered for Hazel, one of his brigade, to help. 

Her mother looked like she had something to say on the matter, but her mouth twisted into a grimace and she shook her head. 

"Be _careful_ , Vesper, darling," she said. 

"Of course," Vesper said with a smile. She wasn't quite sure yet if it was a lie. 

* * *

The Mighty Nein have been tracking down a shipment of residuum in order to take down one of the Assembly's plots. They ended up in Nicodranas again, schmoozing with higher-ups at a party. Jester saw a human woman about her age who was gaining a lot of attention. 

Fjord and Beau asked around and found out she’s from Whitestone in Tal’dorei. _Jackpot_ , someone connected to the shipments. 

Veth and Caleb eavesdropped on a conversation between the stranger in blue and a very tipsy dwarven woman. 

“Yes, well, I can’t imagine what a noble lady from Tal’dorei is doing here,” tittered the more inebriated companion. Veth, obviously, looked her over again to see if she had anything fancy worth taking. 

There was an odd volume to her skirt, so clearly she kept her pouches hidden. It’d be hard to pickpocket that, and Caleb reminded her again that they did’t want to cause a stir quite yet. 

“Yes, well, nobles tend to have ambassadors go out from time to time. My father figured I ought to meet Tary over in Deastock. I decided to take the scenic route while I had the chance,” she said, sipping some wine. 

“Up by Castle Lorelai, eh? Be careful if you’re travelling in the woods at night there, Lady Vesper. Terrible wolf problem, I hear. But of course, we're mutual friends with Taryon. Is the man treating your family well?”

“Thank you, darling, I appreciate it - and yes, of course. He's practically my uncle.” And the brassy dwarven woman beamed back at her. 

They eventually got information from other ends about the location and the time of the shipment, and headed to the secluded docks where the exchange was taking place the next evening. 

The spying went well enough until it turned out the guards are imps in disguise, agents of Tharizdun to get the residuum for ritual purposes. The imps, of course, attacked - and the mission plunged into chaotic battle.

Until a shot rang out, killing one of the imps.

Lady Vesper De Rolo of Whitestone, now armored and with skirts hiked to reveal a holster and other adventuring supplies, leveled a smoking contraption at another imp and shot it down. 

With the new opponent added in, the rest of the imp crew was quickly dispatched. Lady De Rolo holstered her gun and let down her skirts again, wiping dark powder off of her gloves. 

The Nein crowded in, questioning her, and she gave them the answers they needed - the shipment was stolen.

“My father’s very particular about what goes in and out of Whitestone,” she explained, patting the holster on her leg meaningfully. “Dangerous goods can be even more destructive when you don’t know where they’re going. I came out here to find the thieves. I appreciate the assistance - unless you were looking to take some for yourselves?” She raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Caduceus said, “We’ve got plenty of trouble of our own without stealing all that.” And Caleb shook his head vehemently, knowing exactly what good those crystals did him and wanting no part in it. 

“Though I wouldn’t say no to a reward,” Veth muttered. Vesper’s eyebrow climbed higher - apparently her elven ears were not just for show. Veth slouched, smiling sheepishly. 

“I’ll see about that being sent to you. What would you need? Gold? Weaponry? Information? I hear any of the above can go a long way. By the way, who are you lot?” Fjord glanced back at each of them before turning back to Lady Vesper.

“We’re the Mighty Nein.” And her smile grew wider. 

"Oh! A family friend - aunt, really, all things considered - my aunt Allura mentioned you! This is perfect!" 

"You know Allura?!" Jester gasped. "Ohmygosh, you guys, that's amazing!" 

And it was as good a reason as any to team up. 

"Let's figure out what we both know, then," she said, as a raven flew overhead, casting a shadow across the docks. 


End file.
